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What do John Lennon, Charles Dickens and Liza Minelli have in common? They all experienced mental illness. Tonight on Tapestry ? the link between mental illness and creativity. Also, a first-time novelist from Mountain Brook tackles the story of his father's role in liberating Dachau. And, the music of Greg Summerlin. I'm Greg Bass ? thanks for joining us! First, arts news with Tanya Ott.

John Lennon lived with Attention Deficit Disorder. Charles Dickens had bipolar disorder. And Mozart, Liza Minelli and Sheryl Crow all experienced bouts of depression. For many artists, there is an inextricable link between illness and art. In fact, scientists are increasingly focusing on whether there's a common gene that predisposes people to creativity and mental illness. Kelly Hewitt tells WBHM's Tanya Ott that often, people with untreated mental illness "self-medicate" with drugs and alcohol in hopes of controlling their disease.

In the 1960s, many artists and musicians turned to psychedelic substances like mescaline, peyote, and LSD to explore the inner depths of the human mind. Adam Allington brings us the story of Roky Erickson. As an early pioneer of psychedelic music Roky entered a brave new world of "Better Living Through Chemistry" that changed his life forever.

Tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Dachau ? the Nazi's first concentration camp. Nearly 32-thousand people died within its walls between its opening on March 22nd, 1933 and its liberation on April 29th, 1945. Among the liberators, Birmingham native Joe Sacco. Sacco?s son, Jack, has written a book about his father's experience. Titled Where the Birds Never Sing, it?s a first-person account of the liberation and the months leading up to it. Jack Sacco talked with WBHM's Rosemary Pennington.

Jack Sacco?s book is Where the Birds Never Sing. It?s currently being turned into a movie.

Raymond Leppard is the eleventh of 12 guest conductors to lead the Alabama Symphony Orchestra this season. The ASO's Masterworks series resumes this weekend with works by Brahms, Schumann, and Mendelssohn. Leppard spoke with WBHM's Michael Krall about the upcoming concert...

The ASO?s Masterworks series resumes this weekend with concerts Friday and Saturday night at the Alys Stephens Center. There's an extended version of Michael's interview with Raymond Leppard on our website ? wbhm.org

On February 16, 1896 the New York World newspaper printed what's widely regarded as the first color comic strip. Three years later, E. P. Dutton & Company published a collection of comic strips entitled Funny Folks in a hardcover book that inspired dozens of other hard-cover comic books in the early 20th century. "Mutt and Jeff", "Bringing up Father", "Little Orphan Annie" ? the seeds planted for what's become a multi-billion dollar industry...an industry that has tentacles in north central Alabama. The local comic book community doesn't get much press, but it is thriving and this past weekend, for the first time, Kingdom Comics (a Birmingham area store) took part in the worldwide 24 Hour Comic book challenge. The artists had just 24-hours to create a 24-page comic book. WBHM's Francesca Rosko checked in on the action.

You love your pet. You buy him toys. You forgive him for chewing your slippers and you may even drag him out to Do Dah Day this weekend. But have you considered having his beloved mug preserved for posterity? Alicia McCaghren Cook could do that for you. She's a Birmingham artist whose specialty is pet portraits. We caught up with her during a recent class she taught on, what else? Painting your pet!

Birmingham's Greg Summerlin has been writing, performing and producing music for nearly a decade. His former-band The Quinsonics shared the stage with such acts as Better Than Ezra, Jack Johnson and Matchbox 20. But in 2001, The Quinsonics disbanded. Summerlin has a new solo CD called The Young Meteors. This is "Your Frown's my Friend".